Karl Brown is a German physicist who lived in the second half of the 19th and first decades of the 20th century and became famous thanks to the invention of the cathode ray tube - a tube. In some countries, this device is still named after the scientist. Karl Brown specialized in the practical use of electromagnetic waves. In 1909, the scientist was awarded the title of Nobel Laureate in Physics.
The inventor died on April 20, 1918 in New York.
early years
Karl Ferdinand Brown was born on June 6, 1850 in a small German city called Fulda. The boy's father, Conrad Brown, was one of the smaller civil servants. The family had 5 children, Karl was born last.
From childhood, the boy showed a penchant for scientific activity. Studying at a local gymnasium, already at the age of 15 he wrote the first serious work - a book on crystallography. At the same time, all the drawings were made by the young man on their own, and the text was completely handwritten. At the same time, the first article by Karl Brown was published in a scientific journal for teachers.
At the age of 17, the future scientist entered the University of Marburg, where he became acquainted in more detail with three natural sciences (mathematics, chemistry and physics). After two semesters, Brown moved to the University of Berlin, where he began to combine studies with assistant activities with Professor Quincke. Already in 1872, at the age of 22, Karl was awarded a doctorate for work in the field of acoustics.
Soon, Professor Quincke moved to the University of Würzburg, but Brown, who followed him, could not get a full time assistant there. Having financial difficulties, Karl decides to become a school teacher and moves to Leipzig.
In 1873, the young scientist successfully passed the state exam for the corresponding position, after which he set to work, while maintaining hope for a university career.
Teacher job
In 1874, Karl Brown got a job at a secondary school in Leipzig as a teacher of mathematics and science. Teaching took a little time, which made it possible to closely engage in science. During this period, Brown made the first discovery, which was to detect the effect of one-sided conductivity at the point of contact of the crystal with a metal or a crystal of another kind. Since this property was contrary to Ohm's laws, the achievement of the young scientist initially did not meet with approval, but subsequently received decent recognition.
Based on this discovery, a crystal rectifying diode was later created.
Karl Brown himself could not explain the discovered effect, since the level of fundamental knowledge in physics at that time did not allow this. The discovery received deep scientific justification only in the 20th century, when quantum mechanics began to actively develop.
University teaching
In 1877, Karl Brown was finally able to resume his university career, starting with his return to Marburg, but already as a professor of theoretical physics. After 3 years, he moved to Strasbourg and settled at the University of Karlsruhe for as much as 7 years.
In 1887, Karl Brown again changes his educational institution, moving to Tübingen. Here, along with professorship, the scientist assists in the construction and foundation of the Institute of Physics, which he subsequently leads. In 1895, Brown again moved to Strasbourg and was appointed director of the local university. In addition to the leading position, Karl is also considered a professor in the physical department. The University of Strasbourg becomes the final home of the scientist.
During the period of teaching, Karl Brown was very much appreciated among students for his ability to clearly explain the material and convey the essence of experiments for amateurs. The professor even wrote and published a textbook entitled “Young mathematician and natural scientist,” in which information was presented in a free form in a humorous style.
Brown tube
The invention of the cathode oscilloscope was the second significant achievement of Karl Brown in physics. This device has become an indispensable tool for researchers involved in electrical and radio engineering.
A modern cathode oscilloscope is a long tube with a vacuum inside, which is equipped with vertically and horizontally mounted deflecting coils. The device allows you to visually observe and control electrical processes.
The essence of the Brown tube’s work is to transform the trace left on the tube’s surface by a beam of electrodes into a graphic view using a rotating mirror, which transferred the line from the fluorescent screen to the outside.
Other achievements
Karl Brown made a huge contribution to the field of radio transmission by constructing two advanced devices:
- a transmitter with a sparkless antenna circuit - an improved version of the telegraph, in which there were no shortcomings of the Macroni wireless apparatus;
- a crystal detector is the most important detail of a directional receiver, replacing less functional cohers.
In 1904, Brown made another important contribution to science - experimentally confirmed the electromagnetic nature of light rays.
The scientist became a Nobel laureate in physics along with Macroni for his contribution to the development of wireless telegraphy.